In this episode of The Capital Runway, join us as we delve into our conversation with Janene Shaw, the Terminal Operations Supervisor and the first female duty manager at Dulles International Airport.
In This Episode:
In this episode of The Capital Runway, we sat down with Janene Shaw, the Terminal Operations Supervisor at Dulles International Airport. Janene has dedicated over 25 years to Dulles. Tune in and learn how her sister's Air Force career exposed her to airfields and instilled a deep understanding of aviation. Join us as Janene takes us through her various roles over the years that led her to becoming the airport's first female Duty Manager. Don't miss it this one!
Have questions for us? We'd love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@thecapitalrunway.com
For more information, please visit our website at https://thecapitalrunway.com.
Staff:
Tanisha Lewis, VP of DISI
Jaimini Erskine, VP of Marketing & Concessions
Charles Wilson, Co-host/Co-producer
Amanda Ohbayashi, Co-host/Co-producer/Social media producer
Ryan Burdick, Editor/Co-producer
Bong Lee, Graphics
Brian McCoy, Digital Strategy/Co-producer
Sagia Depty, Marketing Lead/Co-producer
Adam Lawrence, Web producer
[music]
[00:00:00] Amanda: Hi, I'm Amanda.
[00:00:02] Charles: I'm Charles. Welcome to The Capital Runway podcast.
[00:00:06] Amanda: We're here to share experiences of our people, functions, and operations of both Washington Dulles and Reagan National Airports. Welcome back to another episode of The Capital Runway. How you doing today, Charles?
[00:00:21] Charles: Life is good. Amanda. [laughter] How are you today?
[00:00:23] Amanda: I am great.
[00:00:25] Charles: We mixed it up a little bit today. We're actually not at DCA, our normal recording studio. We're here at Dulles International Airport.
[00:00:35] Amanda: Yes. We took the drive down the access road, and here we are set up at Dulles. Today we are talking to Janene Shaw, who is again, another one of my favorite people here at MWAA. I work with her a lot when I'm organizing AvGeek tours or taking people out on the runway, and she's always, always, always willing to help out. She's just so much fun to be around.
[00:01:01] Charles: When I first started with the airport about a year ago, she took me and the team on a tour of Dulles Airport and it was just an eye-opening experience. Normally you come to the airport as a passenger, when you come and you work here, it's like you just see it differently.
This experience of going up in the tower and seeing the broad landscape of the airport and actually getting in the car and driving on the runway, that was a really cool experience.
[00:01:29] Amanda: Isn't it? Did you get to go in the historic tower, or the FAA tower, or ramp tower?
[00:01:33] Charles: I think we went into historic tower.
[00:01:35] Amanda: The historic one?
[00:01:36] Charles: Yes.
[00:01:36] Amanda: Oh, that's cool.
[00:01:38] Charles: I don't think most people know that there's a historic tower here at the airport.
[00:01:42] Amanda: Well, people know that there's a historic tower because it's what they see, but not a lot of people get to go up into it.
[00:01:47] Charles: Go up.
[00:01:48] Amanda: That's a rare treat. Another fun fact about Janene is that, she is the youngest person and first female duty manager here at Dulles. I think that's quite the achievement.
[00:01:58] Charles: She's a trailblazer.
[00:01:59] Amanda: She really is.
[00:02:00] Charles: I can't wait to hear what she has to say.
[music]
[00:02:01] Amanda: Yes. Let's get to it. Today we are welcoming Janene Shaw to the pod, so welcome Janene. Janene is the terminal operations supervisor out at Dulles. Thanks for joining us.
[00:02:18] Janene: Good afternoon. Thank you, Amanda. I'm happy to be here. This is a pleasure I was invited.
[00:02:23] Charles: We're excited to have you today. We're looking forward to the conversation.
[00:02:27] Janene: Thanks.
[00:02:27] Amanda: Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you got into aviation, and your role as operations in the airport?
[00:02:35] Janene: Sure, I would be happy to. I grew up in New Jersey. My family's originally from Ohio. Growing up in New Jersey, I lived on the shore and during my time I played sports. I think that really helped guide me in an active role that I'm in now, but I have to say, my sister who was in the Air Force for 32 years is really who showed me what the flight line or the air fields is like.
I've spent a lot of time saying, "I think I may be destined to be a pilot." I went to school at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It's in Daytona Beach, Florida and spent some time in the flight program and learning the workings of how to be a pilot, and understanding the big picture of aviation.
I think I realized that, I kind of preferred to help manage in some aspect of aviation because I found as a pilot, you had to almost learn how to build the aircraft, take it apart, and I wasn't into the engineering and the mechanical side as much as I was as to help the big picture of aviation and managing it. I did an internship in school at Philadelphia and found my love to be in more airport management.
Right out of school, I actually worked for Virgin Atlantic out of Newark, New Jersey and I was deciding, do I want to work for an airline or do I want to work for an airport? Doing the internship and spending a little bit of time with an airline, I definitely realized I loved the airport aspect.
That's when, about 25 years ago, I started here with MWAA, and I've been in airport ops for my career in different roles. I started out in the ops department as safety and security, given the opportunity to become a duty manager. In the duty manager role, I oversaw the day-to-day of Part 139. With 139, there's a lot where you have to coordinate with the airlines and FAA to ensure a safe airport and it operating.
I also spent some time as the construction coordinator. As we were building the airport and expanding with the fourth runway and the AeroTrain and the security mezzanines. Currently I spend a lot of time now as the terminal manager in my current role working with the customer.
The customer to me could be the airport itself but the tenants here; the airlines, TSA, and CBP. I really enjoy the day in and day out working of working closely with those different entities, and spend a lot of time on local leadership with them right now here in my current position.
[00:05:29] Amanda: Awesome.
[00:05:30] Charles: Great. Your job seems very busy. What is your day like as the operations supervisor here at the airports?
[00:05:39] Janene Shaw: The day in and day out here in airport ops is where we oversee and help manage the entire airport operations. That has to do with the airfield, runways, taxiways, airspace, the terminal itself, the concourses, security through TSA, arrivals let's say international with CBP, and even I would say landside, and landside being parking lots and the roadways, the access highway.
We make sure that our priority number one is safety and ensure everything's operating at the safety that it should be. We're also here to respond to any incidents, emergencies. We become the incident commander when we respond. Depending on the incident, we'll transfer that role to fire, police, or work closely with FAA if it has to do with something out on the airfield.
A lot of us is really here to support the operations and make sure that that airport continues to operate. If there's some sort of bump in the road, we don't want that train to stop, we want to keep the train moving. Every aspect in different part, we want to make sure that it's smoothly operating.
[00:07:05] Charles: Great.
[00:07:06] Amanda: Yes. Aviation is really a male dominated industry. As a woman who has been in the industry for several years now, have things started to shift? Have you noticed a shift? Have you seen any upward trends for women and leadership roles in aviation?
[00:07:26] Janene: 6, 7% of our leadership in aviation is women. In the country, across the country, it's more like 30%. That high leadership role in a company, it's really about the women and them being accessible and how warm we are, and how we're so sociable and very personable.
I think some of that has shifted, and more and more I find that women are playing as equal or even more of a factor as good or better leaders. It really is a critical path now for most companies I think to make sure that they train, they engage the women, and continue to show them and put them in the path for that leadership role, because it's definitely something where I know myself, I had to work what I feel, just a little bit harder at what I did and how I did.
Early on, having that confidence, playing sports gave me that in managing those emergencies or any critical aspect. It's definitely an upward trend that I think will continue for aviation.
[00:08:35] Amanda: We'd love to see it.
[00:08:38] Charles: Looking back, what are some of the standout moments in your career?
[00:08:43] Janene: Wow, since 25 years here at Dulles has been a long time, I have to say, one we all can't forget and I think we have to look at it as a positive side is 9/11. What has come out of that has been DHS, and having TSA and CBP and focusing on the safety and security of our nation and the traveling public.
Here at Dulles, we have really grown and expanded with a fourth runway as I mentioned earlier. Being part of that construction program for many years felt like a great accomplishment and task to be a part of that growth and the ever changing environment we're in. That build-out was something that will continue on and everybody will see the benefit of that side.
It's such a great community here in Washington and a very rewarding experience or career here that I've been able to be involved and work with so many great people.
[00:09:45] Charles: On that note, is there any moment that you're most proud of? Moment or experience you're most proud of?
[00:09:53] Janene: The only thing that comes to mind quickly is, last year we all went through an influx of refugees in this country. It took some time I think for the country to realize why we did it, what were going to be the benefits in the long term. Seeing these families come in and help them day in and day out through the airport, beyond the airport, and now seeing how some of them are building their lives here in the US and being a part of our community, and now even working here or volunteering here, I've at my stage in life enjoy working with people and helping them more than the emergency aspects of responding every day.
I'm out there wanting to look and find to help someone in need. I think that was a moment where it was very touching and be a part of here at Dulles.
[00:11:04] Charles: No, thanks for sharing
[00:11:05] Amanda: Yes, that was a really moving time for the airport. How many refugees came through?
[00:11:10] Janene: I don't remember the exact number, but something off the top of my head, 50,000.
[00:11:18] Charles: Wow.
[00:11:19] Janene: We're still seeing a little bit of that coming into the US from different countries around the world. I see that continuing, but not at that extreme influx level.
[00:11:36] Amanda: What are some important things that you think people should know about what it's like to work in airport operations? I feel like most people don't have any idea what happens behind the scenes in an airport and specifically in operations. What are some things that you would like people to know?
[00:11:56] Janene: Great question. This location just outside of DC and the size of the airport, it's a city or a business among what I don't think people truly understand what it takes to work. From a customer who's purchasing their ticket and being dropped off and just going through security, getting on a plane, I don't think they realize the aspects of running an airport and really what it takes.
We have to maintain those roadways on the landside. We have to maintain the terminal and work with all the different airlines, concessions and the different businesses. Then of course going through security and beyond, you have that whole security aspect, and ensuring that the public is safe and the employees are safe.
Each day is different here. It's not the same when I come to work. It's the unexpected challenges or events that people aren't aware that we encounter, and we have to keep the airport operating. For example, if we have an aircraft that is inbound and is declaring an emergency, we'll respond whether it's something minor or major, and we have to prepare always for the worst.
I'm not sure if the general public knows how much training goes in and how much is involved in our job from not just a smooth operation, but thinking about a critical operation, not necessarily a disaster, but a small emergency that you have to bring all the different entities involved. Sometimes you have to bring in FBI, NTSB and then those airlines are affected, and then their passengers and their customers are affected by one simple event or emergency.
It's really difficult always to try and explain to the public that on a good day, beautiful, sunny day, no emergencies, getting through an airport can be quite simple, but when you have one of the simplest little things that happen, it could delay that customer and then it impacts their entire trip, or it delays the airline and it delays all their customers and there's what I call a ripple effect. It really is a lot of coordination and planning, and training that I don't think the public's aware how much goes involved with operating this size airports.
[00:15:00] Amanda: Yes, it's a lot of moving pieces that all have to work and fit in this exact same way.
[00:15:05] Janene: Absolutely.
[00:15:06] Charles: We know there are folks listening who think you have a really cool job. What advice would you give them if they say, "You know what, when I grow up I want to be like Janene Shaw."?
[00:15:17] Janene: That's sweet. Thank you. My path as I mentioned earlier, I went into aviation on the pilot aspect and converted into more airport manager. There's so many opportunities now for individuals or students through college that is given them an opportunity in any location in the US or world to get involved with aviation. There was just a few when I went to college and now there's-- everybody's got a minor or they've got extra programs.
The training that I received during my internship at Philadelphia really broadened the different aspects of aviation. If you're going to college and you're thinking about it as a major or a minor, I highly recommend to people, reach out in your local community and see if there's internships or volunteering or what kind of additional training can you get outside of just college.
That's when you're going to network and you're going to meet the different people, and they're going to share with you maybe some experiences, or have you thought about working for Boeing and on the mechanical side or the designer side?
I think sometimes people when they're young, think of, "Oh, an airplane, a pilot, a flight attendant." That's what you see. When you actually go to school and you invest in aviation, you learn the different facets and you learn all the different areas that aviation can offer from building an airport to flying an aircraft or designing the next best aircraft that you can fly.
The advice I would give is, keep your mind open when you go to school. Take in as much as you can on the different opportunities. Try something. If you don't seem to have a passion, then maybe volunteer in something else and learn to see if maybe you might enjoy a different aspect of aviation. That's from my personal experience.
Throughout my career here, I've been able to do and support so many different things that now like I said, I want to help the customer. I reach out to find a customer because traveling can be very stressful. New place and you're always trying to figure out which way to go, and I just love helping people now in any way.
[00:17:51] Amanda: I feel like I always see you up in the main terminal just waiting to help someone. You're always trying to help someone. I always notice that.
[00:17:59] Janene: Thank you. Part of our job is being out and being vigilant, and keeping an eye on the overall operation. See if there's anything that-- not just assisting something, but does something need to be changed, adjusted? I'm always thinking from the safety aspect, but I'm also thinking forward. How can we do something more efficiently or better to improve the customer's experience?
Again, I'm not talking about just the traveling passenger customer, I'm also thinking about our tenants that are here. I'm always looking, and helping them to me is just a lovely piece of my job every day.
[00:18:40] Amanda: Do you have a favorite spot in the airport somewhere that is like a happy place for you?
[00:18:46] Janene: There's a couple of them, but I always get super excited when people want to go up into the tower, either the FAA tower, the ramp tower because as you're walking around you see it in one aspect, and then when you get up there, you realize how big the place is, what's really out there. The location we're at just outside of Washington, you've got the best of both worlds.
We're between the mountains and the city. When I'm up there, it just is refreshing to look out and see what's around and how it all works together. It's amazing to see an exciting new aircraft when it lands, whether it's a new paint job or something that's being tested. We're extremely blessed in our location and have such a large airport, and seeing these things when I'm in the tower come in or go out just lightens my day and puts a smile on my face.
[00:19:57] Amanda: Yes, I love being in the ramp tower. It feels like -- a lot of people don't get to go up there so to me personally, it feels like a very special place and also, one where I can't touch anything. Don't touch any buttons.
[00:20:12] Janene: The other spot I have to say, it's exciting to be able to drive around the airfield. To get into an ops car, and go drive around. Part of our job is to do these daily inspections and respond, but to get into a car and just drive around the runways, the taxiways, and get up close to that aircraft that has arrived and see the airlines operating, or the different facets of the airport is probably my other happy place. It's exciting when you're out there.
[00:20:48] Charles: Yes. I remember when I first started you took us on a tour, and the best part of the tour was on the airfield.
[00:20:54] Amanda: Yes, for sure. I enjoy being on the airfield from a passenger perspective in the car. I never want to drive, but I like being out there in someone else's car that knows all the rules.
[00:21:06] Janene: Well, I'm glad it is a big place and it's a lot to take in, but if everybody follows the rules, then everything runs fairly smoothly and it's an exciting place to take people out, and take them to locations that they don't have access to. I wish we could open it up like we did years ago where people would actually be able to go out on the observation deck and see more of the airfield.
As things have changed and evolved, there's that security and safety part and so I was so happy and I enjoy taking folks out and being able to see the airfield and areas they can't get to.
[00:21:49] Charles: Final question. We ask all our guests, where are you flying to next?
[00:21:53] Janene: Right now I plan to head out to Denver this June for both pleasure and business.
[00:22:01] Amanda: Nice.
[00:22:02] Janene: I went out to Denver about four or five years ago for a training class, and I didn't really get to spend a lot of time seeing Denver and Colorado. I'm hoping to attend one of our annual airport conferences as well as, spend a little time touring Denver this June. That's the plan next trip.
[00:22:27] Amanda: Cool. Well, thank you so much for joining us today Janene. We had such a great time talking to you, and hope to have you back again.
[00:22:35] Janene: Great. Thank you so much for having me. You have a great day.
[00:22:38] Charles: You too.
[00:22:40] Amanda: Well, that was super fun. I really enjoyed our conversation with Janene.
[00:22:44] Charles: Yes, I had absolutely no idea prior to talking to her how busy her job is.
[00:22:49] Amanda: I know.
[00:22:50] Charles: And how cool it is.
[00:22:51] Amanda: I know. Like I said earlier, I always see her in the main terminal or walking around helping people. You can tell it's what she really enjoys doing because she's always out there doing it.
[00:23:03] Charles: Yes, and just to hear her passion on how she was able to help the refugees who came into the airport was really touching.
[00:23:13] Amanda: Yes. That was a really touching moment, and I remember it so vividly when it was happening too. It was such an awe-inspiring thing to watch unfold.
[00:23:22] Charles: Yes.
[00:23:22] Amanda: I'm really proud that we could be part of it as the airport. If anybody has any questions for us or comments, you can email us at info@thecapitalrunway.com. We hope to hear from you.
[00:23:40] Charles: Have a great day.
[00:23:41] Amanda: Thank you.
[00:23:45] [END OF AUDIO]